Hollywood Studio Magazine (December 1972)

Mark Ricci the film buffs friend t Mark Ricci runs what is probably the closest thing to Dicken’s Old Curiosity Shop for film buffs that exists on the Eastern seaboard. His Memory Shop at 100 Fourth Ave., is snuggled between a störe specializing in cook books, and a minister’s official residence. Inside it is cluttered with papers, books, movie posters, stills, programs, folders, pulp magazines, comic books, and Heaven knows what. But the clutter and confusion is one of the Stores charms, next to the proprietor himself. Unlike many of the slick Stores specializing in memorabilia of the movies, whose shelves never see a bit of dirt, and whose floors are neat and tidy, the Memory Shop reeks of clutter and dust in the dark corners. None of this frightens his clients, who will spend hours sifting through a stack of magazines to find a new article about some favorite star, or dig out ah obscure still, long forgotten in one of Ricci’s bins. Customers at the störe are specjgl. For instance the owner supplies free cold drinks from a small refrigerator. So are the patrons going to complain about a little mess? Never! Besides having things about the movies, Ricci has customers who are specialists in a single personality. One young man collects Sophia Foren photographs, another has everything he can find on Ava Gardner. Yet, virtually everytime one of them comes in, they make a new discovery in the Ricci inventory. “It is like a treasure hunt,” one said recently, “You can’t teil what will turn up until you start looking in the different sections of the störe. It is amazing what Mr. Ricci has gathered together under one roof.” Comic book collectors could spend years going through Ricci’s stock of more than 100,000 comics, some dating back to pre-WW II days. When questioned about his preference for comics, Ricci explains many of the more populär ones, Buck Rogers, Prince Valiant, Tarzan, Donald Duck, Flash Gordon, and others were made into motion pictures. This is a close enough connection Ricci feels to justify his dealing in comics. And business is brisk. Federico Fellini is a patron, so is French director Alain Resnais. Others who have come in over the years, but failed to announce themselves have been the late Walt Disney, and Forrest Ackerman, the so-called dean of science fiction collectors. Ricci had a checkered career before he starte d a book störe. He hadn’t considered movie items until customers started making repeated requests for motion picture material. This set him to thinking, and soon he was buying all he could get. Many of the stills in his shop are museum pieces, like a photo from “The Great Train Robbery,” or that shocker of 1903, “The Kiss,” the first time a woman had been bussed on the screen. His movie posters are super rare, and in good condition. One of his prizes, “Jerry and the Burglars,” stars silent actor Sessue Hayakawa, and can be purchased for less than $60. The man who collects Ava Gardner press books, lobby cards, stills and anything eise related to the star he can get his hands on, Claims to have more than 25,000 items. His ambition is to put all this material in bound volumes and give it to the actress. This particular mutual admiration society hasn’t been one sided either. The star gave her devoted fan the gown she wore to the premiere of the picture, “The Barefoot Contessa.” This prompted a 36-page fan letter in retum. Other stars who are also on call are Garbo, Jeanette MacDonald, Deanna Durbin, Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, Dietrich, Carole Lombard, Norma Shearer, and Lillian Gish Ricci also does a brisk business with photos of W. C. Fields, Gable, Tracy, Humphrey Bogart, Paul Newman, Brando, John Wayne, Valentino, Gary Cooper and Tarzan. His photographs are used for research too. The costumes for the hit musical “No, No, Nanette” were inspired by costume stills Ricci supplied from his files. Original posters found on his shelves were used for “George M,” and everything he had in his störe related to Sherlock Holmes was bought up to decorate a posh restaurant. His mainstay are customers devoted to the motion picture, but once in a while people wander in who want kinky items, women in tight pants, or revealing outfits, — and other suggestive photo art. Ricci has a quick answer for this. “That kind I send down to 42nd Street.” When you run the movie still Mecca of New York, you don’t take guff from anybody — unless it happens to be a star, and even then, the actor better not push things too much. *** John Ringo Graham ANOTHER BIG WESTERN FOR JOHN WAYNE Hollywood — Arrangements have been completed for John Wayne to make his third successive picture at Warner Bros., starring in the tentatively titled “Wednesday Morning,” a high action Western drama to be filmed in Durango, Mexico, beginning this fall. " MAILBAG Liked your stories on Florence Marly & Gloria Grahame Hollywood Studio Magazine: BRAVO! You’re magazine gets better all the time. Just finished readihg the latest issue and cannot teil you how much I enjoyed Larry Kleno’s “The Best of the Bad Girls” story. Your magazine gets better all the time, and I hope to read many more in future issues such as the ones on Florence Marly & Gloria Grahame. They are informative and Fm sure, enjoyed by many who like me, remember them fondly. Since I have had increasing difficulty in obtaining copies when they are sold out, I am enclosing a money order for a year’s subscription to your magazine. I know Fll have a year’s enjoyment ahead of me. With the story on Florence Marly (last month) and the one on Gloria Grahame this month, I can’t wait to see who will be next month’s featured guest. Good luck for the future. Very sincerely, Felisa Ortega 606 No. Occidental Blvd. Apt. 214 Los Angeles, California 90026 Wants more stories on 40’s & 50’s Dear Editor: Have been enjoying your magazine for some time now and think it’s one of the finest of its kind. Have enjoyed all of the recent issues and especially this one with the fine articles on Clark Gable and Gloria Grahame. I’ve enjoyed Miss Grahame’s work on the screen and while I enjoy all of the features, I hope you’H be able to include more of the people from the forties and fifties in future issues. All good wishes, Bill Dyerly Be sure — subscribe! Dear Editor: Studio Magazine is a fine publication and I enjoy each month’s issue more than the previous one. Look forward to reading it every month. Have told friends about it but they never can find copies of it on the newstands. They were sold out. I did get a copy and loved it. Try getting it on more Stands because I feel it’s a real winner! Enjoyed Mr. Kleno’s article on Turn to Page 26